Bill Walton, lovable giant and basketball legend, is one of San Diego's most famous sons.
So over the summer, when a group of benefactors offered the main airport a $200,000 bronze statue of him -- arms outstretched as if to welcome travelers -- it seemed like a natural gift for the city.
But in a decision that has touched off debates over the role of public art and the meaning of Walton's legacy, the airport said, in effect, no thanks.
Walton was born just outside San Diego, became a high school basketball star there and later, in the NBA, a household name. As a retiree, back in San Diego, he has been a prolific philanthropist.
"Bill Walton might be the most San Diego thing about San Diego," said Bryce Miller, a San Diego Union-Tribune columnist who has criticized the airport's decision.
That's why a private group commissioned the 6-foot, 11-inch sculpture, which depicts Walton standing in front of his bicycle.
But in a letter to organizers this month, the airport brought up the costs of upkeep and said it would be unfair to elevate Walton above other luminaries. It also faults the statue for not showing Walton with a basketball.
In a statement Monday, the airport said there was "no question" Walton deserved recognition, adding that it would consider displaying the statue for a short period.
The public reaction, judging by discussion online, has been passionate. An unscientific poll showed strong support for the statue. But some called it "ugly" or better suited to a sports bar.
Organizers are hoping the controversy will lead the airport to reconsider.
If it doesn't, there will certainly be other options. Folks in Portland, Ore., for one, where Walton was a Trail Blazer, have an eye on it.
Golden advice
Add Michael Phelps' name to the list of Americans who were less than amused by teammate Ryan Lochte's post-competition, early-morning drunken antics at the Rio Olympics.
Phelps said he told Lochte two days earlier: "Keep your head on straight."
Apparently, the warning didn't take.
Lochte and three teammates got into a scrape with a security guard at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro after a night of partying. He originally claimed he and young teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen were threatened and robbed at gunpoint but was later charged in Brazil with filing a false police report.
Phelps is in Minnesota getting a behind-the-scenes look at Ryder Cup preparations ahead of this weekend's matches.
'Honest' headlines
From the weekly series "Honest NFL Headlines" at the satirical sports website sportspickle.com
• "Prescott impresses as Romo suffers broken heart"
• "LA Rams get first TD since '94"
• "Fitzpatrick: 'I have a Harvard education, so I know 6 INTs is a lot' "
• "Bengals to avoid this year's playoff loss by missing playoffs entirely"
• "Browns to try their one talented player at all 22 positions next week?"
He said it
From columnist Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald:
• "A leap second is going to be added to the world clock. During that extra second, Tony Romo is expected to get injured twice."
• "Tim Tebow received a $100,000 signing bonus from the Mets. Contrast that with the typical unproven minor league prospect who would have received a pack of chewing gum and an IOU for 200 bucks."
• "A Rice lineman solved a Rubik's Cube behind his back. This is the biggest accomplishment ever for the Rice football program."
SPORTS QUIZ
Who is the only NBA player to win the league's MVP and the Sixth Man awards in his career?
ANSWER
Bill Walton. Walton won the NBA MVP in 1977 and the Sixth Man Award in 1986.
Sports on 09/28/2016